


Terracotta Dawn

by Dark_Puck



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Gen, M/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-09-26
Updated: 2011-09-26
Packaged: 2017-10-24 01:31:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/257385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Puck/pseuds/Dark_Puck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Ba Sing Se, a pair of <s>tomb raiders</s> <i>archeologists</i> accidentally stumble across a plot to awaken terracotta warriors and use them to destroy the Fire Nation. Not wanting to see another war tear the world apart, they seek help from the only source they can think of -- the former Phoenix King.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning:** Focuses mainly on OCs and on Ozai. Chapter ratings may vary. Hidden and not-so hidden pop-culture references.  
>  **Notes:** I pretty much have the crack. :D Originally conceived in Summer 2009, I spent a few months poking at the general idea of the fic, but never really got anything concrete from it. Then, shortly after Christmas, I decided to taunt everyone and created a [Coming Soon](http://www.scribbld.com/users/dark_puck/75876.html) post. Then, early in February, [Avocado Love](avocado-love.livejournal.com) created the [Avatar Big Bang](community.livejournal.com/avatarbigbang), and I decided that I would use _Terracotta Dawn_ as my fic. So... here it is. :D

  


  


  


  


  


Alak paused on his way to the private areas of the Dai Li Museum. He could hear Professor Thanh yelling from here, which meant that his assistant, a former Joo Dee, had screwed something up.

"…was an accident," he heard the Joo Dee — Ai Fulin, that was her name — say.

"My dear girl, when King Hung destroyed Gaoling, _that_ was an accident," Thanh retorted. "You… are a _catastrophe_!"

Alak smiled. Ai Fulin would be looking for a way out about now. Obliging her need, he poked his head inside the room. "Professor?"

Thanh glanced at him. "Alak," he said as Ai Fulin made her escape, slipping sideways with her back to a wall until she reached the door behind the young man. "What do you need?"

The Dai Li agent grinned at the professor, picking up Ai Fulin's fleeing footsteps through the stone floor, and held up his bag. A few scrolls poked out of the top. "More items to be translated, sir."

The professor gestured, and Alak turned the bag over to him. He stood at ease as Thanh sorted through it and selected one of the scrolls, and felt another smile cross his face when his teacher's eyebrow rose. "From Han-Guk again, I see. Where are you getting these?"

Alak coughed. "I know a guy."

Thanh pierced him with a look that made the agent feel like he was a trainee again. " _Really_."

"I don't want to scare him off," Alak explained, fighting the urge to squirm. "He could be useful."

This earned him an eyeroll. "Not your job to recruit, boy."

"I'm not recruiting." Alak grinned. "But he's got skills Hyo-sir could use."

"Hn." Thanh spread his scroll on a table and looked at the characters. "Scrolls, statuettes, idols, rubbings of wall-carvings… you best not be trucking with a temple-robber, boy."

  


  


"Careful with that scroll!" Kouji hissed to his twin sister. He reached down as far as he could to pass the delicate object to her without dislodging himself from his hazardous position on the underground temple's ceiling.

"I know, I know," Yui replied, rolling her eyes and stretching out to take the scroll from her no-less-precarious spot hanging off of a wall carving. "We've been tomb-raiding long enough."

"We're archaeologists, Yui," the young man told her, carefully making his way back toward the adjacent wall.

She arched an eyebrow, watching him slide down to the ground, his earthbending keeping his fall controlled. "Uh-huh. And who sells the things we get?" she asked, tucking the scroll gently into a pouch that would protect it further.

"Alak gives me good prices!" Kouji protested, walking under her and opening his hands.

She dropped the pouch into them. "We're tomb raiders." When Kouji made a strangled noise, she smiled, and then looked around for a safe way down. It had been a long time since she and Kouji had run through the forests, and she wasn't sure if she still remembered how to properly fall. There! That statue looked strong enough to hold her, and it helpfully had an arm outstretched for her to catch herself on.

Beneath her, Kouji followed her line of sight. "—Wait, Yui, I don't think—" he began, but it was too late; she'd already flung herself across the space. He was entirely unsurprised when, after she caught herself, her weight dragged the statue's arm downward, accompanied by the sound of grinding stone.

"…oops," Yui said, clinging to the arm-lever.

Before her brother could retort, something else ground against stone, followed by the sound of rushing water. " _Slag_!" yelped Kouji. He stamped his foot down, creating a thin pillar that launched him from the floor to the top of the statue Yui still hung onto. "Why did it have to be lakes?" he wondered as the first wave splashed hard across where he had stood a minute before.

Had she not been hanging on for dear life, Yui would have smacked him. "Help me up!"

Kouji tucked their find into his bag, then crouched down. He dug his left hand into the statue and offered her his other hand. She grabbed hold and together, they got her to relative safety.

"This won't keep us for long," Yui said, watching the rising water.

"You should have known better than to jump before I'd checked it," Kouji replied.

She glared at him. "You _said_ you'd got rid of all the traps!"

"The ones on the floor and in the walls!" he retorted. "I didn't think you'd go statue-jumping!"

Yui snorted in disgust. "And here you're supposed to be the _smart_ one."

"Shut up," the earthbender said, eyeing an alcove directly across from him. It looked like it had been a rest area for the earthbenders who made this temple. Unlike his twin sister, he couldn't swim, so he'd have to jump across before the water got too high. Where was it coming from, anyway?

Well, he couldn't figure that out from here, and the water was rising— was it rising faster? "Slag," he said.

Yui hit him. "You've been in the Earth Kingdom too long," she informed him. "Stop swearing and _fix_ it!"

He glared at her, but gauged the distance from statue to wall. It was all math, and easy math at that. "Okay. I think I got it. Give me the rope."

His twin stared at him.

"…What?"

"The rope's in my bag," she said

Kouji blinked. "And… your bag is…?"

Yui pointed to the water.

It was the earthbender's turn to stare.

"It's not like I had time to get it!" Yui said defensively.

"If I flub this and drown, it's your fault," Kouji informed her.

"Like you flub _anything_."

Kouji shook his head and checked the distance again. "Right. Here goes nothing." He backed up as far as he could, then dashed three steps across the head of the statue. He used just enough earthbending to propel him to the alcove.

He didn't need the rope. He _did_ need to stoop so he wouldn’t crack his skull against the ceiling. Apparently the earthbenders who had built the temple hadn't had his height. Shaking his head, Kouji returned his thoughts to the present — unless he stopped this, both of them would drown.

" _Hurry!_ " Yui called over to him; Kouji ignored her, though the water half-filled the room by now. Earth-tracking wasn't an easy thing for him, even _if_ Alak had been helping him improve. Taking a deep breath, he knelt and settled his hand against the ground. He nudged his earthbending through it, trying to figure out where the water was pouring in from.

This would be so much easier if he'd been trained by the Fighting Lady.

 _Finally_ , he located the stone trapdoor, and shifted focus from feeling to holding. Slowly he dragged that door back down, cutting off the flow of water into the room. When he opened his eyes again, Yui was in the much-calmer water, swimming towards him with strong strokes.

He blinked; the water was scant inches from his feet. He _really_ needed to work on his earth-tracking.

When she reached him, Kouji helped her out of the water. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

Yui just glared at him, then leaned out of the shelter to wring out her long braid. "Don't be sorry," was her tart reply. "Get us out of here."

"Yes, ma'am." Still kneeling, he placed both of his hands flat on the ground, seeking the best way out of their current situation. Several minutes passed, during which he was dimly aware of his twin rifling through his bag, and then finally he opened his eyes. "Okay," he said, rising to a crouch. "I've got it. Move to the side."

Yui obeyed him a little more than he liked. She slipped into the water and turned onto her back. "I _can_ do this without dropping the ceiling on you, Yui," he pointed out.

"I like floating," was her rejoinder.

Show-off.

Kouji drew back and began earthbending. First he strengthened the little roof to be sure it wouldn't collapse on him, then he raised it so he could stand upright. He needed space in order to do this safely and without destroying _too_ much. From there, he forced some of the wall inward, making the start of a tunnel to the outside.

Yui didn't come out of the water until he'd got several feet in and had to stop to rest. "Don't overdo it," she cautioned him. "This isn't really your forte."

"Do I tell you how to sing?" he shot back at her. "Pass me the tú miàn bāo."

Yui gave him two of the pressed cakes, trying not to giggle at the faces he made while eating them. Kouji hated sickly sweet things, and the energy-restoring cakes were nothing _but_ sweet.

"Why can't that inventor up North make some sort of portable icebox?" Kouji asked

"It wouldn't be convenient for us to carry anyway," Yui said. "And it'd probably cost everything we've saved up so far."

Kouji sighed. "You're right. We need that money." He finished the last of the tú miàn bāo, licked the residual sweet off his fingers, and then got back to his feet. Yui promptly retreated, and the process began anew.

It took several hours for them to reach the surface, and by the time they emerged into open air they were out of food. "That scroll," Kouji panted, "had better be worth it."


	2. Chapter 1

"He didn't have to rake me over the coals _that_ hard," Kouji grumbled to Yui as they left Alak's apartment.

Yui giggled at his sullen expression. "But he's right," she said. "Especially about you needing more training. And the cheese. You like it better than tú miàn bāo in any case."

"I like _anything_ better than tú miàn bāo."

Yui shook her head. "Well, we've been paid, even if Alak didn't want that damned scroll. So let's get you fed and start making plans for the weekend."

"Not long plans," Kouji reminded her. "My next semester starts after the rest day."

"We don't have to go very far," Yui said. "Didn't you say there were more tunnels under the Crystal Catacombs?"

"I said I _thought_ there were," he answered. A grin crossed his face anyway. He loved the Crystal Catacombs, even if he couldn't bend the light-crystals. He poked his sister in the ribs. "But before we go looking, _you_ need to reread some Omashu Li."

Yui swatted at his hand. "I do _not_. I told you, I thought you'd already cleared all the traps. And _you_ need to learn to swim."

"I'm fine," he replied, glaring at her. "Come on, there's a place that does good Fire food in the Middle Ring." And he grabbed her wrist and dragged her after him.

Yui stopped him. "Can we afford that?"

Kouji nodded. "Alak didn't buy the scroll, but he did want some of the statuettes."

"Okay," said Yui. "Works for me. And we'll go down tomorrow?"

The earthbender grinned at her. "Yes. All that history-in-the-making…"

"Soldiers to dodge, preservationists to avoid…," Yui continued, mischief sparking in her eyes.

"Discoveries to make, and things to sell!" Kouji finished, laughing.

"Let's go!" And the twins raced off through the city.

  


  


Dawn found Yui and Kouji just outside the tunnel to the Crystal Catacombs. They carried only one pack between them this time; this foray was strictly exploratory.

Technically speaking, the Crystal Catacombs were off-limits to casual visitors. The chamber in which the Avatar and the Hope of the South had battled the combined forces of Princess Azula and the Dai Li was unstable and, according to those working to shore it up, could come tumbling down at any minute.

In practise, however, Kouji was a student at Ba Sing Se University, and Yui an accomplished flirt. Entry was obtained with ease, and the two set off across the chamber, carefully moving around the rubble. "I can't _believe_ you," Kouji muttered to his sister.

"What?" Yui asked, grinning broadly.

"You are _not_ bringing him back to the apartment!"

"Of course I'm not," she said, reaching up to ruffle her twin's hair. "We'll probably go back to his place."

"Gah! That is not need-to-know!"

Yui laughed. "You're such a prude, Kou-kou."

He glared at her. "I'm not a prude. I just _really_ don't need to know when you're having sex."

"You should really have some, you know."

"Yui!"

"I'm just saying—"

" _Yui!_ "

"All right, all right…"

Kouji stalked off ahead of Yui, annoyed now. His twin followed at a more sedate pace, keeping an eye out to be sure nobody had noticed that they were headed for one of the entrances to a deeper part of the cavern.

By the time she caught up, Kouji was already down a tunnel that hadn't been used in decades and heading further in. Swearing softly, she lit one of their torches and chased after him. She probably shouldn't have teased him so badly, especially after his reaction to her rendezvous tonight.

"Kouji?" she asked quietly.

"Shh," he replied. She almost took umbrage — she wanted to apologise! — but then realised that he was intently focused on the wall. "Something's not right about this."

That was a switch, but one she was grateful for. She and Kouji couldn't afford fights right now. "How do you mean?"

Kouji didn't answer. He put his ear to the wall and rapped it softly with his knuckles, eyes closed. After a moment, he took the torch from her. "This way."

She nodded and followed as Kouji led her deeper into the catacombs. After several minutes, they came to the end of the tunnel — it had been blocked off by a cave-in. Kouji frowned as he examined the fall. "This was deliberate," he said quietly.

"It was?"

Kouji nodded. "The whole thing is unstable. If you move even the smallest stone, the whole thing will come down on you." He shook his head. "Whoever did this was either a master earthbender, or they had _way_ too much time on their hands."

His sister snorted. "I really hope it was the former. So, trap?"

"Probably," Kouji agreed. "Or at least an alert system. Give me a sec." He passed the torch back to her and laid both hands on the ground, closing his eyes. "And don't move," he added, drumming his fingers lightly against stone. The drumming changed quickly to tapping, until finally the earthbender stood. "There's another tunnel beneath us," he said. "The one we're in now may not lead to it, but we won't be triggering an obvious trap this way."

Yui nodded. "Works for me."

"Back against the wall," Kouji instructed. "I need to be careful with this one — don't want to alert the guards back in the Catacombs."

She backed up quickly, leaving her twin more room to work with the stone. At the same time, she dug in their bag for some of the cheese she'd insisted they get this morning. Earthbending was not a subtle art, so forcing it to subtlety often left Kouji exhausted. Normally, a task like this one involved a stomp-and-drag motion — okay, it was more than that, or so Kouji insisted, but to Yui it looked like one — but that was too noticeable for their current situation.

After several moments of pondering and running his hands over the ground, Kouji finally dug his fingers into the ground and _pulled_ — and the stone moved with him. Slowly he peeled away the floor, leaving a hole just barely wide enough for the pair of them to wiggle through. "That should do it," he said, taking his hands out of the ground.

Yui slipped over and passed him the Rushan cheese. "Eat," she urged.

"I think you're supposed to grill this," Kouji muttered, but he took a bite anyway.

While he ate, she lay flat on her stomach and peered into the hole Kouji had made. Carefully, she let the torch drop to the floor below, then wriggled forward some until she was half-in the hole. "Looks like a bit of a drop. You'll need to angle it some so we can drop safely," she reported, dragging herself back up.

Kouji nodded and stood, the bit of cheese gone. "I'll probably need to widen it a little, too." He eyed his body ruefully in the dim glow coming from beneath them. "Working with Alak is changing my build."

Yui almost asked if anyone of the female persuasion had noticed the muscle her scholarly brother was starting to put on, but that would only lead to another fight. Instead, she took the pack and carefully edged away from Kouji — with their light on the floor below, caution was all the more imperative.

She could no longer really see what he was doing, but she could hear whispered curses and slowly grinding stone. Finally, it stopped, and Kouji said, "Okay, let's do this."

Yui returned, passing him the bag and pressing some more Rushan into his hand before moving to the short new tunnel her brother had created. More carefully than the last time, she edged forward, testing her weight against the stone before sliding in legs-first. Kouji, his cheese gone again, took her hand in his to provide additional support in case he'd miscalculated.

He never did, but their past-time was risky enough without taking unnecessary ones.

The floor was fairly thick, but Yui's head was still above the floor when her feet came out the other side. "I'm through," she told him; Kouji nodded and lowered her further. Inch by inch, Yui slipped through the tunnel until her waist was through. She turned onto her stomach and smiled when she saw handholds. Nothing if not thorough, her twin.

She took one with her free hand and eased her grip on Kouji; the handhold remained firm. "Okay," she said, and he released her so she could support herself. Now she moved backwards through the tunnel, feeling more and more of herself hanging in the air, until she was through completely, with only her hold on the lip of the tunnel keeping her suspended.

She gauged the drop and then let go, rolling as she hit the ground to distribute the impact evenly. Something seemed off, she noted, but looking around provided no immediate answers. "I'm through!" she called to Kouji.

Silence for a moment, then their pack rolled out of the tunnel. Yui caught it neatly and slung it on, scooping up the torch at the same time. She didn't have to wait long before her brother's feet appeared, followed by legs and rear end. He hung suspended like that for longer than Yui liked, but since the stone was grinding again, she figured he was covering up their way through in case anyone else investigated the first tunnel. The earthbending stopped, and then Kouji dropped the rest of the way through, landing in a crouch.

Yui rolled her eyes. Earthbenders.

He gestured for the bag, which she passed to him. After a feat like the current one, it was for the best for both of them if they took some time for Kouji to rest.

"The irony is that if I'd been able to earthbend normally, I wouldn't be as tired," her twin mumbled around a mouthful of tú miàn bāo.

"That's the price a tomb raider must pay," Yui chirped, sitting across from him.

Kouji gave her the evil eye. "We're archaeologists."

She just grinned at him.

The earthbender finished his tú miàn bāo and made a face, then leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Give me ten minutes," he instructed.

"Right."

While Kouji rested, Yui explored a little bit, never straying beyond sight of her brother. _Something_ was bothering her about this place, but she couldn't put her finger on it. When she got him up, she asked, "Does something strike you as… off?"

He blinked, then frowned. "Actually, now that you mention it…"

He grabbed a second torch and lit it to brighten the tunnel briefly, and both of them looked around.

"Dust," Yui said at last.

"Huh?"

"Look." She knelt and swept her fingers against the ground, then held them up for her brother to see. "There's no dust."

Kouji's eyes narrowed. "Someone's been here before us."

"Do you think they triggered that rockfall?" Yui asked.

"I don't know," he said. "But we'll need to be careful. Douse the light — we're in deep enough that there'll be light-crystals scattered about."

She nodded, and they put out their lights together.

Darkness engulfed them, but that was nothing they worried about. Yui groped for her brother's hand, and then Kouji led the way down the tunnel, moving with the slow shuffle he used when he didn't want his feet leaving the ground.

After about ten minutes in the darkness, Yui realised she could vaguely see her brother's outline, as well as a fairly dim, greenish glow. She relaxed — he'd been right about the light-crystals.

"Huh," Kouji said, examining the wall. "There are enough of these— this was a passageway somewhere. And someone sunk the lights back there."

"Why?" Yui wondered, and Kouji snorted.

"Why else? To keep people out. C'mon."

The twins moved forward once more, keeping in a single file line to disturb as little as possible. If this tunnel was still in use, neither of them wanted to anger whoever used it. Several minutes of wandering and a whispered argument later, they came to a halt in front of a metal door.

"Well," Kouji said at last. "That's not at all suspicious, is it?"

"How does it open?" Yui asked, frowning. There was no handle on it, nor hinges, nor even a lock she could reach.

"That's the thousand-koban question," Kouji agreed. "Take the pack."

Yui shouldered it without complaint, and Kouji pressed his entire body against the door. Yui refrained from comment, though it took a lot of willpower. Like he had with the floor, Kouji began striking the door with precise blows, eyes closed as he listened with his ears and his earthbending.

At last he said, "It's a trick — there's a whole room past there, but it's lined with metal to keep earthbenders from waltzing in whenever they feel like. But there has to be a way to get _in_ — it's too big to be a tomb." He paused. "I think."

"So, how do we get in?" Yui asked, trying not to sulk. She hated rooms like this one.

"I'm trying to think," he told her. "Hush."

Yui rolled her eyes and tried not to fidget as Kouji started hitting the door again. This style of earthbending was so blasted _finicky_ , especially since Kouji was so new at it.

"Got it," Kouji said. "It's got an earth-bolt lock in the metal. There might be a handle on the other side of the door, but if you're on this side…"

He slid into an earthbending stance, and Yui took several steps away from him. He glared over his shoulder at her. "Very funny."

He turned back to the door and moved without warning, kicking his leg out to one side until all his weight rested on it. Simultaneously he turned his torso towards that leg and thrust his arms out as if shoving an opponent backwards.

Metal screamed as stone slid back against it, and the door swung forward to reveal another hallway. Kouji blinked. "Of course," he said at last. "We can't do anything the _easy_ way, can we?"

Yui giggled. "Look at it this way — whatever's back there, they didn't want anyone getting to it. Treasure!"

"Or the angry corpse of a dead Earth King," Kouji said mournfully.

"We read all nine of those _Omashu Li_ books, Kouji. I think we can handle it."

"Three of them were Firelords," Kouji pointed out. "And one was a sage."

Yui shrugged. "Either way, we'll be fine even if the impossible should happen. Give me a torch; that hall isn't lit."

Together, the twins moved into the hallway, only to be halted by another door. "It's _never easy_ ," Kouji groaned, but Yui spied what he'd missed.

"Hold this," she grinned, kneeling by the door and reaching into the gold armband she always wore. No lock made was a match for her.

Yui got to work, and her focus narrowed to the lock before her. It was a good lock, likely state-of-the-art when this room had been built. It wasn't, however, the most difficult lock she'd had to deal with, and after a few minutes she had it open.

"Let's go," she said, replacing her lock picks in the armband and rising to her feet.

Together, the twins walked through the doorway into a room filled with rows upon rows of stone soldiers.

"…whoa," said Kouji.


	3. Chapter 2

  


Kouji and Yui stood on a platform overlooking a huge room easily a quarter the size of university grounds. It had been divided into eight corridors, each holding hundreds of statues standing at the ready. The twins stared out over the army in awe.

On a second glance, they could see supports, but the roof they had held was long gone — collapsed or taken away, neither of the twins could say. "Wow," Yui said softly. "This is— this is just— wow."

Kouji nodded dumbly, and silence fell between them.

"You'd think after three years of doing this, it would get old," Yui added after a moment, not liking the quiet.

"Who could get tired of finds like _this_?" he asked her, sweeping his arm out.

"People with no imagination," she grinned. "Come on, let's go check it out." She started to pull him after her, but he dug his heels into the ground.

"Hang on." He turned back to the doors they had passed through speculatively. After a moment, he padded back to the trick door and pushed it shut, dragging the bolt home.

"Kouji, what—?"

"Just in case whoever found this before us gets territorial," he explained. "Can you get the other door?"

"Yeah, sure." She waited for Kouji to vacate the hallway, then closed the other door and took out her lockpicks again.

While she worked on that, Kouji padded down the stairs leading from the platform to the floor where the stone soldiers stood. As he drew closer, he realised that they weren't just stone — they were terracotta. He peered into the face of the nearest soldier, frowned, and took a few steps back before examining it again.

By the time Yui had the door locked, Kouji had given up on close examination and was moving through the rows, glancing at each face before moving on. "Yui!" he called when he heard/felt her set foot on the stairs. "Come take a look at this."

Yui scampered down the stairs and joined her twin. "What is it?"

"Look at this row of statues," he instructed. "Notice anything?"

She blinked, then passed between some of the statues. "…they're kinda handsome."

" _Yui_!"

She grinned at her brother, then looked again. "—they all have different faces."

Kouji nodded. "We may have found the tomb of the First Earth King."

"…that should have echoed."

"Yui…," he growled.

"What?" she asked. "A discovery like this, there should be some drama!"

"I'm sure it will echo when they write a play about the _real_ finders of this tomb," Kouji informed her, taking her wrist. "Come on, let's see what else is in here."

The twins moved on down the rows, glancing at the faces of each statue they passed in order to find any that were the same. "This must have taken _ages_ ," Yui whispered when they were halfway down the current corridor.

"Mm," Kouji agreed, grey eyes shining.

Yui wasn't as thrilled as her brother about their discovery — after all, someone else had been here before them. The finder's fee wouldn't be going to them. And the handsome statues were quite boring after looking at several hundred of them.

She pulled free of her brother and moved ahead, hoping to find scrolls, or anything at all saleable. She reached the end of the row long before he did, and stopped. "Kouji!"

Bare feet slapped against stone, and seconds later he'd caught up. "What is…" His voice trailed off as he took in the tablet that had caught his sister's attention.

It was taller than both of them and decorated along the sides with badgermoles and mountains; at the very top was a warrior in armour that resembled a fierce badgermole.

"The First King," Kouji whispered.

"Didn't we establish that already?" Yui asked.

Kouji slapped her lightly on the arm. "Shush." His eyes drifted from the warrior to the characters etched into the tablet. "This is Old Earth!" He grinned, and Yui sighed. This was going to take a while.

On the other hand, watching her brother's weird little dance as he tried to read the tablet was hilarious. He bounced from foot to foot, moving closer and further from the stone. Aborted words emerged from his mouth on occasion, half-sounds similar to ordinary language but very different at the same time.

After several minutes, he said, "I think I've got it. 'Here lies the sleeping army of Ying Zhen, first Emperor of the Impenetrable City and Conqueror of the Earth Kingdoms.'"

"For three generations, anyway," Yui muttered.

"Shush. 'In a time of desperation, when the Impenetrable City is in peril, call upon the sleeping army, and they will wake to your command.'"

Yui blinked. "Wait. Wait wait wait. Is that thing saying that these statues will _wake up_ if Ba Sing Se is attacked?"

"No, it's saying that you have to wake them up yourself," Kouji explained.

She thought about this, then declared, "The ancients spent too much time in opium dens."

Kouji gave his sister a dire look. "I'm just translating. Though usually this kind of thing is a warning — do not steal the Great Stone of Whatever, or the soldiers will wake up and kill you. But this…"

"Is like an _Omashu Li_ novel," Yui finished for him.

"Pretty much." Kouji sighed, tracing his fingers over the characters. "I wish I'd paid more attention in class. 'Call on the sleeping army', blah blah blah, instructions on how they go, and— huh."

Yui looked over at him. "Huh?"

"I… I think this has the words you need to wake them."

"…it's gotta be a trap," Yui said. "It's _never_ that easy. There's always something guarding the treasure."

Kouji shrugged. "Maybe the people who got here first took care of that."

Wind gusted down the corridor, tugging lightly at their clothes before dissipating.

The twins looked at each other, then both turned to the door to the room. They couldn't see it from there, so Kouji knelt and Yui climbed up onto his shoulders. "Door's still shut," she reported.

"What was that you were saying about drama?" he asked as she climbed down.

Yui didn't answer.

The twins waited several minutes, but nothing else unusual happened. Kouji turned back to the slab. "Okay. Words to wake them—"

"Don't you _dare_ say them!"

"What would we even _do_ with an army of living stone?" Kouji asked.

"Knowing you? You'd sell it to Alak," she replied.

Kouji rolled his eyes. "I'm only going to translate, Yui. The language has shifted since the First King's time. They won't react to modern language."

"How do _you_ know?"

The earthbender paused. "Good point. I'll break up the incantation while I translate, how's that?"

Yui nodded. "Should work."

She didn't really believe that the statues would come to life, but there was no point in taking unnecessary risk.

"'Awaken, warriors of stone,'" Kouji read. "I think that's standard for any spell, really. 'Your emperor's people need you.' Or they're short on players for an earthball game."

Yui giggled, and Kouji continued, "'Come help the city.' I guess Princess Azula's lucky nobody had found these guys when she took Ba Sing Se. 'Hear my words and obey.' Again, standard." He frowned at the tablet. "That line repeats, then the middle two stanzas mix it up, then the first line repeats. Huh."

"Anything else?" Yui wanted to know.

"For the spell? Nope. On the tablet? Also no." Kouji sighed. "I should probably tell Alak about—"

"I knew you were going to sell this to him."

Kouji gave her the Eye. "This is history, Yui. It belongs to the city."

"And you're going to negotiate with Alak for a finder's fee?" she asked.

He sighed. " _Yes_ , Yui. Neither of us is in this for the history."

"I'm just not sure this is the kind of thing we should be turning over to Dai—"

Earth screamed against metal, and the twins froze.

"Was that the—?" Yui began, and Kouji nodded. Someone had unlocked the outer door.

Wordlessly, she adjusted the strap on her bag until it held snugly against her, then wrapped her arms around Kouji's neck and closed her eyes. She couldn't see what it was he did, but she felt his arms and body move, felt the earth _pulse_ beneath them, and then they were no longer on the ground but flying through the air, dropping—

 _Stopped_ , as Kouji dug his hands and feet into the wall. He grunted as the sudden stop forced his sister against him, straining at his hold, but he hung on grimly, then began climbing. She opened her eyes when he stopped moving, in time to peer over his shoulder and see the inner door swing open.

Three men entered the chamber, too far away for Yui to make out the details of their faces. One seemed older than the other two, however, and more gaudily-dressed; of the remaining men, one looked to be the size of a professional earthbender, while the other one was quite a bit smaller. "Is this the place?" the older one asked, his reedy voice drifting across the chamber.

Kouji bit back a gasp, and Yui glanced sidelong at him. Did he know the older man?

"Yes, professor," said the smallest man. His voice was rich and carried well. He gestured out at the terracotta army. "As you can see."

"Any earthbender could have made these," the professor scoffed, and the big man rumbled disapprovingly.

"I think you'll find, professor," said the rich-voiced man, "how mistaken you are. Please come this way."

The three men walked down the stairs, the small man in the lead and the big man at the rear, and made their way right down the corridor Kouji and Yui had been in. The professor peered at the statues, and marvelled when he realised that not one of the soldiers shared a face. Yui winced; she had no idea how long Kouji would be able to hold them both up.

"Astounding," said the professor. "This must have taken a _lifetime_ to put together."

"I suspect so," agreed the short man. "Come along, professor, I think you'll like what we have for you…"

Gently he chivvied the old man towards the tablet.

Yui held her breath when they reached it; if she or Kouji had left noticeable traces of their presence…

"My word!" the old man exclaimed. "This is Old Earth, from the reign of King Ying Zhen!" Seeming to forget the other two men were there, he went on to translate the slab much faster than Kouji had.

Kouji hissed softly in annoyance as the professor retranslated the awakening spell:

 _Awaken, o thou warriors of stone.  
Thine emperor's people have need of thee.  
Come to the aid of the city.  
Heed my words and obey my commands._

 _Heed my words and obey my commands.  
Come to the aid of thy emperor's people.  
Thy city has need of thee.  
Awaken, o thou warriors of stone._

Fortunately, however, the stone statues didn't move, and Yui let out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding.

The professor turned to the other two men. "Is that all you wanted, Mi Ren?" he asked.

The shorter man — Yui could see now that he was quite pretty — smiled. "Of course not, professor. We would hardly be paying you such an exorbitant sum if a translation was all I was after."

"Then what _do_ you want?"

Mi Ren's smile grew larger. "My dear professor, I have a plan. The Fire Nation has gone without punishment for long enough, wouldn't you agree?"

The professor considered this, resting his hands on his not-inconsiderable stomach. "They say the new Firelord is dedicated to peace," he hedged.

The big man snorted rudely, and Mi Ren reached up to pat him on the shoulder. "Down, Rong," he said consolingly before returning his gaze to the professor. "The Avatar is friends with Firelord Zuko. It is _his_ influence that prevents the Fire Nation from receiving their just desserts for their actions during the war."

Mi Ren spoke with such passion, Yui felt her emotions responding and strongly checked herself. This pretty man was _dangerous_.

And it was working on the professor. "And how will my contribution assist you?"

Mi Ren smiled, and he tapped the tablet. "I've done some research into the First King and his army. Please — read just the first line of the incantation? In the original language."

Yui's eyes widened. This man couldn't _possibly_ think the terracotta statues would respond, did he?

"'Excito, calx proeliator,'" read the professor.

A beat of silence, after which both twins relaxed.

Then stone cracked along the room as each and every warrior turned its head towards the professor.

Kouji lost his grip on the wall in his surprise, and the twins tumbled to the floor, rocks clattering in their wake. Yui barely bit back a cry when they landed, Kouji on top of her, but she couldn't keep the air from flying out of her lungs.

"What was that?" she dimly heard the professor ask, voice high-pitched.

"Rockfall," rumbled a new voice, who could only be the large Rong. "Coincidence."

"Are you certain?"

"Of course," Mi Ren intercut soothingly. "Rong is a much stronger earthbender than I am."

"As you say," said the professor dubiously, before seeming to dismiss the issue for the much larger one at hand. "How did they—?"

"This army is as old as the city," Mi Ren explained. "The First King appealed to the spirits of Earth, and they laid power on these statues so they would wake when the spell is used."

"And you— you're going to send them against the Fire Nation."

"Yes," was the simple reply.

Kouji and Yui stared at each other in horror.

" _Now_?"

"Of course not," Mi Ren said. "Nothing is ever that simple. For example, if these warriors leave the city, they will cease to move. The power will leave."

Kouji frowned, and Yui wondered what wheels were turning in his head.

"Of course," said the professor. "They were meant to guard this city. So how—"

"Need to know, my dear professor," purred Mi Ren. Yui could hear the professor's huff of irritation. "Don't worry; I took this into account. I have a plan to deal with it. Your role will only be in translation. There will be no danger to your person."

"Very well," was the mollified reply. "And the payment…"

"Will of course be factored in with what requires your services. Now, I believe that this is not the best place to discuss business, yes? We should speak of such matters aboveground." The man's tone changed to one of command. "Rong."

This was acknowledged with a grunt, and then footsteps indicated the departure of the three men.

The twins lay motionless, still tangled up with each other, until metal-and-earth screamed once more. "Okay," Kouji breathed, and gingerly they separated and checked one another for injury. On ascertaining that only bruises had been amassed, Kouji got to his feet and peered at the nearest warrior.

"They're— sleeping, I guess. They're not awake, anyway," he reported.

"What the hell," whispered Yui, wide-eyed. "How is — why would — this can't — _when did our lives become an Omashu Li novel_?"

"Shhh!" Kouji urged. Yui noted his hands were shaking. "I need to think." He began pacing back and forth. "We need to stop them."

" _How_?" Yui demanded. "This is the craziest plan I've ever heard of!"

"I'm working on it," Kouji replied.

Yui sighed and checked to be sure nothing in their bag had been damaged in the tumble. Her questing fingers encountered some more cheese, which she removed. "Kouji," she said. When he turned to her, she tossed it to him. "Eat. You were holding us up for awhile."

He nodded and continued his pacing. "Okay. First we need to get to that tablet." He sprang to the shoulders of one of the terracotta warriors, took a moment to get his balance, then leapt from the statue to the top of the corridor wall. Yui was just behind him.

From that vantage point, they scanned the room to be sure they were alone, then trudged along the wall until they got back to the corridor that held the tablet again. They dropped to the floor, and Kouji took the bag from his sister. "What are you doing?" she asked as he removed some rice paper and an ink-stick.

"I'm making a rubbing of this." He nodded to the tablet. "We may need the incantation," oh, gods, now he was _talking_ like a scholar, "in order to work out a way of stopping this." His eyes flashed. "And then I'm going to destroy the tablet."

Yui stared at him. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "I don't want a war any more than you do, Yui. This probably won't stop them — if they're smart, they've already made a rubbing themselves — but it will hopefully _delay_ them."

Yui gestured to the statues. "Maybe you could try destroying them?"

Kouji hesitated. "Maybe. If I have to."

"Try one," Yui suggested, and Kouji flinched.

"All right. I'll try." He handed the rice paper back to his sister, then approached one statue and settled into a ready stance with the majority of his weight on the back foot. He drew both hands back to his hip, then shifted suddenly to a front stance, thrusting his hands before him with a "Ha!"

The terracotta cracked, and dust billowed from it, but the soldier remained intact.

"…well, then," said Yui.

"I'm destroying this tablet," Kouji said, taking the paper back and approaching the tablet. He held the paper up over what had to be the wake-spell, took some graphite from his pocket, and settled in to work.

Yui sighed and took up her brother's pacing. The statues were powered by spiritual power, which she and Kouji likely would be unable to affect. They had to stop the outside force looking to wake the soldiers, then, but Mi Ren was already gone, and with him whatever method he would use to get the warriors beyond the city.

…maybe she was looking at this the wrong way. Maybe what she and Kouji needed was someone who could handle things like this, someone trained to deal with spiritual power and to bargain with spirits.

But where would they find a sage who wouldn't laugh them out of the temple?

"Okay," said Kouji, turning around. "I need you to— YUI!"

Instantly she dove aside, but Kouji's warning had come too late.

A strong hand wrapped around her ankle and yanked her up off the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose to represent Old Earth with Latin, as there is no free resource available on the internet that will translate accurately into any of the Ancient Chinese languages to my knowledge. If anyone wants to help with that, please do so!


	4. Chapter 3

  


She nearly cracked her head against the ground, but fortunately whoever had caught her was _tall_.

"Let her go!" Kouji yelled.

"No."

Yui went cold.

That voice — _Rong_!

 _How_ had they missed that he had remained in the room? Mentally Yui went over their conversation and stifled a groan — neither she nor her brother had bothered to keep quiet, assuming all three men had left. They _knew_ better than that!

"Give me that paper, boy," Rong ordered.

"No," Kouji snapped.

Rong squeezed Yui's ankle, grinding bones together. She gritted her teeth against the pain as the man commented, "With your sister in this position? Do as I say."

Yui hissed. She was _nobody's_ leverage against her brother! She twisted in Rong's grip, trying to wriggle loose, but the other man was having nothing of it. How could she— ah!

Her wonderful, thoughtful twin had earthbent some stones around them. Without hesitation, she snatched one up off the ground and smashed Rong in the knee with it. The man yelped, his grip loosening just slightly — but not enough.

It was enough distraction for Kouji to act, however — she saw her brother's feet leave the ground, then strike, and the earth shook. Yui flailed with her free foot, and managed to strike her captor in the face and head. _Finally_ he dropped her.

Yui scrambled away from him, getting to her feet behind Kouji and getting her first good look at the man who apparently was an enemy.

Rong was _very_ tall, a full head taller than her twin, and broad-shouldered. He wore his brown hair cropped close to his skull, but his eyes glittered gold. He wasn't really handsome, but, vain as she was, Yui had never been one for looks in her partners.

 _Down, girl_ , she checked herself.

For a moment, none of them moved.

Then Kouji grabbed his sister by the shoulder and dragged her behind him, then pushed. " _Run_!" he ordered her.

She started to, but stone jutted up in front of her, cutting off her escape route.

"I don't think so," said Rong.

 _Shit._

If Rong was an earthbender too…

"Kouji, don't!" she cried, too late.

He surged into an earthbending form, driving a chunk of stone at Rong. Rong slapped it aside, and it shattered against one of the terracotta statues. "Cute," he commented, then raised up a multitude of stones.

Yui's eyes went wide as Rong fired them off.

Kouji, however, had quick reflexes. Seconds before they would have hit him, part of the corridor wall slid in front of him, serving as an impromptu shield—

That shattered when the first stone hit it.

He barely had enough time to protect his head before the rest of the rocks slammed into his lanky frame.

She yelled with him and stumbled back, feeling every hit as he did, and Rong hesitated, glancing from Yui to where Kouji lay motionless.

That was all Yui needed. She threw herself at the big man, swinging just underneath his strike at her and getting behind him. He turned to face her and she punched him. Her fist thudded harmlessly into his palm, then his hand slid over hers and grabbed her by the wrist.

She pulled back against Rong's hold with all her might, to no avail — the man was firmly rooted.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded of him.

Rong smiled slightly. "Because Mi Ren asked."

"This is _insane_!" Yui exclaimed. "The war is _over_!"

"The war will never be over," the big man told her quietly, pulling her closer to him. He hooked the fingers of his free hand under her chin and tilted her face up to him. "You ought to understand that as well as I, gold-eyes."

There were a thousand things Yui could have said to that. The one that started to emerge was "We're not war-children."

To prevent that from coming out of her mouth, Yui grabbed his shirt and kissed him thoroughly.

He didn't let go of her wrist, to her dismay.

But he did kiss her back.

Stone shattered, and Rong whipped towards the fallen Kouji, half-dragging Yui with him. Kouji had dragged himself upright and destroyed the tablet. "You—" Rong began, his grip on Yui tightening painfully, but Kouji was already in motion.

His hands dropped to the bag hanging from his belt, then flowed into something not unlike a waterbending stance. Sand streamed from the bag, following the movements of his hands, and then Kouji lashed out with it like a whip.

Rong threw a hand up to protect his face, but the sand whip curved around his arm and struck him in the eyes. He released Yui to claw at his face, trying to rub the sand out, and Kouji followed through with a more traditional earthbending move, sending the shattered remains of the tablet at the other earthbender.

Still blinded by Kouji's sand whip, Rong couldn't avoid or block this attack, and he went down heavily.

"Yui, come on!" he yelled needlessly; she had already leapt to the shoulders of the nearest warrior and used it as a boost to make it to the corridor wall. He followed suit, pelting with her for the doors to the room.

No attack came from behind, no yell of fury or indication that Rong was pursuing them. This didn't slow either twin, however — it was likely that he was counting on the doors to stop them.

"Boost me!" Yui instructed as she reached the end of the wall. Kouji stepped heavily, and the rock there thrust out under her feet, furthering her jump to the platform. She landed lightly just in front of the locked door, picks in hand. She knelt and got to work, trusting her brother to buy her the time she needed.

Yui never did her best when she had to do a rush job, but the threat behind them brought an odd sort of clarity as she worked on the lock. She could hear the crashing of earth and desperately hoped Kouji wasn't fighting Rong — neither of them were a match for the older man.

The lock clicked, and Yui shouted, "I've got it!"

The noise near her stopped, and Kouji joined her on the platform as she swung open the door. He didn't even pause to earthbend the bolt on the metal door, just as Yui didn't bother to lock the door again. The odds were high that Rong either had a key or was a lockpick as well, and locking the doors would just waste time for them.

Kouji and Yui fled the Crystal Catacombs, mindful of the danger right behind them and praying they wouldn't run into Mi Ren or the professor on their way out.

The didn't _stop_ running until Kouji collapsed, unable to go any further.

Yui spun on her heel and returned to her twin. "Kouji!" She checked him frantically and realised that he was exhausted. When had he last done that much major bending?

"'m'fine," Kouji mumbled. "Jus' tired…"

"Well, we're too exposed here," Yui said, carefully lifting her brother off the ground. She looped his arms around her neck and pulled him to his feet. "Just a little further, then we can rest." Her eyes were on the train station she knew was a half-mile ahead.

"Can't go home," Kouji whispered, and Yui paused.

"What?"

"Can't go home," he repeated. "Professor Qu Hua — took his class." He paused to take a few breaths. "He'll rec'nize me."

" _Ashes_ ," Yui breathed. She started walking regardless. They _could_ go home. _Remaining_ there wasn't an option, but there would be just enough time for them to pack.

For her to pack, she amended, glancing at her brother. Kouji was going to need a nap.

Well, she could handle that, and she could get them at least temporarily safe until they decided what to do about the madness they'd discovered. Fortunately, she and Kouji lived in the Lower Ring, so getting to the Agrarian Zone wouldn't take too long once she'd packed.

She masked her fear and her worry and got Kouji to the train station, where she smiled at one of the earthbenders working there. "My brother overextended during a test," she lied cheerfully, "and I need to get him home."

The earthbender rolled his eyes. "When will those storefront 'masters' ever learn they're not teachers?" he asked the air, and stepped forward to scoop Kouji up in his arms.

Yui pouted at him. "It's all we can afford," she explained, "and it's better than an untrained earthbender."

"Unfortunately true," he admitted, and sighed. "But too many of these 'masters' run their students into the ground. You tell your brother to be careful."

Yui beamed at him. "I will."

The earthbender smiled back, and Yui allowed herself a moment of regret that they would be outside the city by nightfall. Ah, well. Perhaps another time.

The earthbender made sure she and Kouji were settled, then slipped back out to work.

Yui rummaged in their bag and took out the last of the cheese. She shook Kouji awake and made him eat it, then found some of the tú miàn bāo and nibbled on it to flush the taste of Rong from her mouth.

Stupid attractive crazy man.

Getting back home was interesting, but Yui was strong enough to manage her heavier brother. Kouji was putting on muscle, an irritating side effect of his training with Alak. Still, she made it inside, though she immediately dumped her exhausted twin on the floor.

He didn't so much as twitch.

"You," she informed him, "are going to start earthbending more."

That said, she moved into their shared bedroom and started packing immediately. Most of her clothing was sensible, made for day-to-day living and her temple excursions with Kouji. She did, however, pack her one nice dress; depending on which sage they saw, it might be best to tart herself up a bit.

Yui paused.

Sage.

Yes, it would be best to see one of the Fire Sages, wouldn't it? But how would she ensure that one would listen to laypersons? Especially the younger siblings of a convicted murderer?

Would they even be able to _enter_ one of the temples in the Fire Nation? All the sages were in temples…

Sages, yes, she thought. But not all sage-trained men.

It would be far easier to break into a high-security prison than to see a trained sage.

But how would she get that man to listen to her?

Yui bit her lip, considering.

 _("That scroll had better be worth it.")_

 _("Alak didn't want the damned scroll.")_

Sages appreciated knowledge, didn't they? What better knowledge than a religious text from a temple he might never be able to visit?

Yui moved to Kouji's side of the room and started packing for him as well. Everyday rough-and-tumble clothes, as well as the nice outfit she'd made him buy. It was a little short in the wrist and ankle, but there wasn't much she could do about that now. When that was done, she tucked the scroll they'd retrieved inside the bag. They would need more to convince, him, of course, but this was a good start.

She put the bags by the door and scoured their apartment for anything they needed, and paused when she came across the stash of money that she and Kouji had built up since they'd started tomb raiding.

Their trip was going to require money.

She and Kouji weren't as poor as they made themselves out to be — couldn't be, what with their hobby. However, the majority of the money they made from their discoveries and their sales was set aside for the day they could buy their brother out of prison.

But to stop another war…

Taking a deep breath, Yui dug out the money and divided it between her bag and Kouji's, then checked the stash of artefacts that Kouji's Dai Li contact hadn't wanted to buy. Among the articles there, she found a handsome armband made of gold and studded with garnets. If it wasn't much too fine for her (and too large), she would have kept it for herself.

It had the look of a religious ornament, however, and not necessarily Earth Kingdom, at that. Perhaps that man would like it.

She slipped it into her own bag, then went to dig into their larder. She packed the rest of the tú miàn bāo, then dug up some leftover meat and went to force her twin awake again.

"Go 'way," Kouji whinged at her.

"Shut up and eat," she instructed him, pushing the meat into his hand.

He whinged some more, but did as she told him.

"C'mon," she said when the food was gone. "We're getting out of here."

"'kay."

With Yui's helpful bullying, she got Kouji's bag on his back and then got him out the door. It was a long walk back to the train station, but this time she made him move on his own, with promises that he could sleep on the train. For his part, he did try to keep his cranky down to a minimum, and kept quiet rather than snap at his sister.

"I am _never_ letting you earthbend that much again," Yui muttered once she had him settled on the train.

Kouji mumbled something in return, but she couldn't make it out. It probably wasn't important anyway — or at least would lead to another fight, which they _really_ couldn't afford right now.

Yui sighed, and turned her thoughts back to figuring out what else to bring the not-sage.

Why was she dancing around the identity of who she needed to talk to?

Because the idea of talking to him was frightening, she realised. He had no reason to even want to listen to a peasant colony girl.

Which is why I'm bringing him bribes, she reminded herself. So he'll at least know I respect him even in his current state. She was too young, far too young to have ever been directly affected by his policies — except she had been, and Kouji too, and Ichiro was in jail because of it.

Yui buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to do this," she whispered.

 

"Absolutely not!"

Yui calmly ran a brush through her long hair and marshalled her thoughts together. Kouji'd slept quite some time once she had finally let him, through sunset and until the moon was at its height. She, on the other hand, was quite tired by now, but she'd get no rest until this thing was settled. "I told you, Kouji," she said patiently, "he's the only one we have any hope of getting help from."

"Have you lost your _mind_?" Kouji hissed. "He's _psychotic_! He was going to destroy the entire Earth Kingdom?"

"Like his grandfather destroyed the Air Nomads?" Yui asked softly. Kouji paused, and she continued, "We won't be asking him to do this for his enemies. We'd be asking him to do this for his country — or, at least, for a decent bribe."

"How will we even _get_ to him?" Kouji wanted to know.

Yui laid her brush aside and divided her hair into thirds. "We're tomb raiders—"

"Archaeologists."

"— _tomb raiders_ , with two years' experience of breaking into all sorts of guarded and booby-trapped temples and ruins," she continued, twining her hair into a braid.

Kouji raised an eyebrow at her. "That isn't going to make this a cakewalk."

Yui gave him a look. "Of course it isn't. He's going to be in a high-security prison with a lot of guards. It won't be easy, but it isn't beyond our capabilities."

Kouji sighed. "And assuming we can even get there, how do you expect to get anything out of him other than a 'piss off'?"

"Bribes," she explained. "Three of them."

"How, exactly, do you intend to bribe _Ozai_?"

Yui tied off her braid and held up one finger. "One, that scroll we found that Alak didn't want. He's sage-trained, he'd be interested in that kind of thing." She held up a second finger and said, "Two, that gold armband with the garnets. It's in Fire colours and it could be a religious artefact. Again, interest."

"And the third?" Kouji asked.

"…I don't know," she admitted. "I'm trying to think of one."

He grunted. "And you think this will work?"

"I think that if he doesn't know how to stop this, he'll know someone who does," Yui said. "If we're polite and bring him gifts to show that we respect him still, he'll probably be more inclined to listen."

"You do realise that nobody is going to believe this?" he asked.

"That had occurred to me, Kouji," Yui said, annoyed. "But what choice do we have?"

"Coffee."

Yui blinked. "What?"

Her brother sighed. "Your third bribe. Get him coffee. _Real_ coffee, from Buyou no Long Shima."

Yui arched an eyebrow. "Coffee?"

"You're not the only one who's heard things about him," Kouji informed his twin. "He likes coffee."

Yui smiled. "Thanks, Kouji," she said with a smile.

His smile back was small. "Get some sleep. I'll keep watch."


	5. Chapter 4

  


  


A faint whisper of sound disturbed Phoenix King Ozai from his thoughts, and he opened his eyes to see if one of his guards had changed routine.

No, the sound had come from above. An attempt at assassination?

He could do with some sport.

Ozai looked up to the high window and saw a very female silhouette perch on the window and pause, as if gauging the distance. After a moment, she slid inside, fingers clutching the sill. She dangled, then let go, using the wall as a means of friction to slow or control her descent.

Her landing was light, almost noiseless, and she rolled as she hit the ground. If she was as competent as her entry suggested, he'd need to hit her hard and fast, restraining himself just enough that he'd be able to question her. That way he could decide whether to kill her himself or hand her over to his idiot son to be executed.

The woman came up in a crouch, and their eyes met.

A look of startled apprehension crossed her face.

Intelligent as well as skilled, to fear him despite his current state. He took her moment of hesitation to look her over. Fine black hair pulled back in a child's braid; dressed in dark greens and browns, Earth Kingdom clothing that warred with how very obviously Fire Nation her features were. A war-child, most likely. Here to seek revenge for her mother?

And then she bowed before him, a full bow of supplication with her forehead pressed to the floor.

Well.

That was interesting.

She was very _polite_ for an assassin. Or, perhaps, she wasn't an assassin at all. There were other possibilities for her presence — punishment for losing a bet, or a dare. Young adults were prone to stupidity, and he could see she was _very_ young.

He would remain on his guard, however, because _he_ wasn't stupid.

"You may rise," he told her, shifting his weight subtly.

The girl did not strike, but settled back so that she was sitting on her knees. "Phoenix King Ozai," she began, immediately catching his attention. "I am Yui, formerly of the New Sozin colony."

This was getting more and more interesting.

"And you've come to pay your respects?" he drawled, watching her face.

"My King, I could visit during the daylight hours for that," she replied evenly.

"Then what brings you to me at this hour?" Ozai asked.

Yui of New Sozin took a deep breath; he wasn't sure if it was unconscious or if she'd done it to draw his attention to her breasts. "I wish to ask you for advice," she said.

His late-night guest, it seemed, was _full_ of surprises. He didn't allow that surprise to show. "And why would you think to ask me, Yui of New Sozin?"

Another breath; that _had_ to be deliberate. "To be honest, my King, yours was the first name that came to mind."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Was it, now?"

She kept her head high. "It was."

"Why?"

"I met a man in the Earth Kingdom last year," Yui of New Sozin explained, "who grew up in the Fire Palace. He told me you were trained by the Fire Sages."

"I imagine you two conversed often," Ozai said, watching her.

A corner of her mouth turned up. "Only once. But it was rather… invigorating."

He abandoned that line of questioning. She wasn't rising to the bait. "What, then, would drive you to seek me out when there are sages all over this country?"

Now she hesitated, as if she needed that moment to marshal her thoughts. "My question is… somewhat odd, my King," she admitted at last.

"Too odd for a trained sage?" he asked her almost sweetly, and had the pleasure of seeing her flush slightly.

"I wasn't certain if they would believe me," she admitted.

Ozai smiled. "And you think that I will?"

She wet her lips. "I don't know if you will, my King," she said carefully. "I can only hope that you would grant me a hearing."

Yui of New Sozin was certainly polite, taking care to use his proper title when she spoke to him. She was also dangerous, breaking into a high-security prison at little older than sixteen.

Ozai favoured her with another sharp smile. "Why should I grant hearing to one who comes like an assassin in the night," she flushed again, "to share a tale she considers unbelievable?"

"I have brought three gifts for the favour of your audience," the girl replied, the colour in her face dying down. Slowly she reached into the bag she'd brought with her, making no sudden movements.

She first withdrew a small sack of cloth, tied and sealed with gold-coloured wax. This she slid closer to Ozai's cell, taking care to keep herself out of reach. He examined the bag and found that the wax was both unbroken and held the imprint of Daimyo Osamu's seal. "A pound of the finest coffee beans from Buyou no Long Shima," Yui explained, reaching into a bag a second time.

This time she took out an armband, and moved to where moonlight filtered through the window so he could get a better look at it. It gleamed copper-orange, the colour of old gold; red gemstones studded it on either end. "An artefact my brother and I discovered in the Earth Kingdom, near the old Kingdom of Huang-Dei. The gems are garnets. We suspect this was looted from the Fire Nation a long time ago." She set the armband on some cloth and pushed it closer to him as she had the coffee, then drew out the third article.

It was a scroll, likely of papyrus, and seemed to be as old as the armband she had offered him. "A scroll my brother and I retrieved from a buried temple in the former Earth Kingdom of Han-Guk. It's written in the most common dialect of Old Earth." This too was laid on cloth and slid closer to him, with the girl taking care to keep out of arm's reach.

 _Very_ interesting gifts she had brought him, and absolutely at odds with her rougher, much-worn clothing. He drew the scroll closer and opened it, eyeing the calligraphy inside. He could make out some of it — Old Fire and Old Earth shared a common writing system, but the forms had not been combined until Chen Dao Ming had conquered the world millennia in the past. Ozai carefully closed the scroll and took a look at the armband.

It wasn't easy to see in his cell, but he could and did run his fingers over the metal. Intricate patterns had been worked into the gold and around the gems; the armband itself felt almost warm. Yui-chan's suspicion of it having been looted was quite likely correct.

Last he picked up the bag, slowly running his hands over it. Nothing sharp, wax seal still intact, and the beans themselves smelled rich and bitter, almost but not entirely unlike chocolate. All expensive gifts — or perhaps, in the case of the artefacts, gifts that could have been sold for a lot of money.

However unbelievable she felt her question was, she was taking it very seriously.

"Very well," he said, laying the coffee aside. "Ask your question."

"Yes, my King," she said, then took a deep breath and let it out before speaking. "My brother and I stumbled upon a plot by Earth Kingdom radicals. They planned to kindle another war, only rather than using human soldiers, they planned to use terracotta statues they found deep beneath Ba Sing Se."

No wonder she hadn't gone to any Fire Sages.

"Terracotta statues," he repeated flatly.

She nodded. "I couldn't believe it either, at first. But we _saw_ the statues move when one of the radicals spoke an incantation. I think it was originally penned by the first Earth King, so the statues could defend the city."

Ozai looked Yui-chan over carefully, but found no signs of a habitual drug user. Too, she had even stated how unbelievable her tale was; from what he understood, the majority of conspiracy theorists and the insane seemed convinced everyone would believe them if only they knew the truth.

And she had come to him — not to free him, not to demand that he help, but to ask for advice.

Ozai was fascinated.

"I will need more information before I can advise you," he said.

She tried to hide her relief. "Thank you, my King."

The tale she spun him now contained several references to things her brother or one of the radicals had said; apparently, while Yui-chan herself didn't understand Old Earth, the brother did and had provided the translations. She did a good job of editing her story, though Ozai could still tell she was leaving things out.

She also avoided naming her brother.

Very interesting.

When she was done, Ozai considered what she had told him. A pity the tablet with the incantation had been destroyed, though Yui-chan was smart to assume that her radicals had made a copy.

He considered this problem for a long moment.

"The statues are creations of the First Earth King to defend Ba Sing Se," he said. "Since the tablet has been clearly ruled out as a source of spiritual power for them, the source is likely the First Earth King and the city itself." He smiled. "I doubt levelling the Impenetrable City is within your capabilities, Yui-chan."

From the startled expression on her face, levelling Ba Sing Se wasn't something she wanted to do regardless.

"This leaves the First Earth King," he continued. "You would need to cut off his ability to access and empower the statues."

Yui-chan nodded slowly. "Please, my King, would you instruct me in this?" she requested.

Still so very polite. "Salt," he said. "First and foremost, salt. Pour it in circles around either the complex or each statue; both for preference. Salt is a purifier and a neutraliser both."

The girl nodded, intent on his words.

"If you can, you should mix cinnamon and gold dust with some of your blood and add that to the circle," Ozai continued, his smile sliding into a smirk. There were other materials he could have suggested, of course, materials aligned with the elements that were not Fire.

But Ozai had his own points to make.

Yui-chan bit her lip. "Would it be acceptable without the gold dust, my King?"

He tilted his head at her. Everything about her said she was poor, and yet she had given such extravagant gifts… "The gold dust represents the sun. You might use amber or sunstone instead."

Another nod. "Thank you, my King."

"Shavings of rowan would also strengthen your circles," Ozai continued. "And, if you want to be certain, bring along some lava-stone to place at the compass-points."

The girl gnawed on her lip, deep in thought. Finally, she ventured, "The blood, my King… would animal blood be acceptable? Or does it have to be my blood?"

Given the magnitude of the task, he supposed he couldn't blame her for asking that. "It must be human blood," Ozai clarified. "You will be appeasing powerful spirits. You want them to be well-fed."

Yui-chan gulped, but nodded. "Yes, my King."

The fool of a girl was going to get herself killed. He would have to accompany her and her brother to make sure they did the damn thing _right._

Kouji hadn't turned up for his classes.

Qu Hua paced his office, sweating heavily.

He had nearly had a heart attack when Rong had described Kouji and his twin sister as the pair who had overheard their conversation. He'd identified them, of course — how could he not? A mixed child attending the university on a scholarship was _noticeable_ , and he'd warned Rong of that lest the brute think to take the twins out of the equation.

People would notice— the Dai Li would notice. Specifically, one _former_ Dai Li would notice.

Qu Hua shuddered. "Professor" Thanh had likely used Dai Li influence to get his job at the university — the man was a vulgar **thug**.

Perhaps it would be for the best if Rong took the siblings out of the picture — after all, they _were_ half-Fire, and Kouji took Thanh's classes every semester. Worse, he lived in the lower ring. If not stopped, the boy would clearly grow up to become the head of a criminal syndicate or worse.

Well, it would be easy enough to find out where the boy lived.

All he needed to do was have a word with the registrar, and then go handle the problem himself.


	6. Chapter 5

  


The twins made good time away from the capital and by dawn they had reached the end of Capital Island. Kouji furnished a shelter for them where solid earth merged with sand, and they settled in to rest.

Kouji fell asleep almost immediately — though he'd been practising his earthbending more, he had done quite a bit already this night, and he'd had to do it as stealthily as possible.

Yui, however, remained awake, considering the information the Phoenix King had bestowed upon her. She was still wondering how she would get enough blood without killing herself when she, too, fell asleep.

It was early afternoon when she rose to nature's call. She moved with care to the mouth of their shelter so as not to disturb her brother, shielding her eyes as she peered outside to see if her exit would be noticed. There were no people around, so she emerged fully from the dug-in shelter and waited for her eyes to adjust.

Once she had taken care of her bodily needs, she took off her shoes and moved towards the water, keeping one eye out for mussel burrows. They could do with some variation in their diet, especially since it looked like most of their money was going to go to getting the materials needed to counteract Mi Ren's plan.

Taking care to remain in sight of the shelter, Yui began walking along the beach, letting the waves lap at her feet. The beach was shallow and the tide was high, so there was little damage of a rip current dragging her from the shore. She moved further into the water, rolling up her pants legs to keep them from getting too wet.

She sighed in pleasure at the feel of the water gently moving around her calves, silken-soft and cool. It was simply too much for the young woman to bear.

In an instant she stripped off her clothes and tossed them onto the sand. Her undergarments followed, and she strode further out into the sea until it came to her waist. With a shiver of delight, she leaned forward and began to swim, letting the water clean away yesterday's sweat and grime.

Closing her eyes, she ducked completely beneath the water and rolled with sheer _joy_ — she almost _never_ got a chance to swim like this. Even the last time, when she had accidentally triggered the temple-trap, she hadn't really been able to enjoy the water.

She came up and laughed, throwing her arms in the air to send water droplets flying everywhere. Let Kouji remain landlocked for the rest of his life. When all this was done and they'd bought Ichiro out of prison, she was going to move to the seaside and swim every day.

Unless, of course, she managed to get into opera. That would be even _better._

Yui opened her mouth to sing, but quickly stopped herself — sound carried on water, and while there was nobody in _sight_ —

There was a man on the beach.

Where had he come from?

There was something naggingly familiar about him, too, but Yui couldn't tell why from this distance. With a sigh, she made her way back to where she had left her clothes, and realised that the man was sitting right beside them.

Well.

Yui paused, considering. She was to her shoulders in the water, so modesty was preserved — while normally she wouldn't have cared, she disliked men who played tricks to see a naked woman. Sitting by her clothes was certainly a trick.

But she couldn't very well stay out here and wait for Kouji to wake up.

Very well, then. She would retrieve her clothing and play the cold, haughty empress. This usually worked much better for her than fire-anger.

She held her head high and began to wade in, prepared to pointedly ignore the—

 _Phoenix King._

Her eyes went wide, and she automatically began to bow, but hesitated when she remembered she was still waist-deep in the water.

"Bowing is not necessary," said Ozai.

Oh, good. "I thank you, my King," Yui said. She bowed at the waist anyway; politeness was always key when dealing with that man. Ruthlessly she shoved aside her surprise and fright at his sudden appearance — why was he even _there_?

Ozai smiled. "I will meet you over there," he said, indicating the hill Kouji had dug their shelter into. That said, he turned and strode off.

Yui waited until he was out of sight, then hurried to the shore. She shook the sand out of her clothing, then dressed quickly, mind racing. What was he doing there? How had he gotten out of prison? Why had he found her? _How_ had he found her? Should she wake Kouji before going to him.

She lifted her braid and wrapped it around her head to buy some more time, pinning it into place with some of her lockpicks. No, she shouldn't wake her brother. If Ozai were to construe it as a trap of some kind…

She shuddered, and made her way to the Phoenix King. Some fifteen feet from him, she bowed a second time, this time the proper bow before royalty. It was absolutely imperative that she treat him with all due deference, _especially_ now that there were no bars between them.

"You may approach me, Yui-chan," he said.

Heart pounding in her chest — _(he was so much more terrible in the open)_ — Yui rose to her feet and came to him, stopping five feet from him this time. She did _not_ want to get within arm's reach of him.

He smiled at her, and she shivered. "You will need a trained priest on your endeavour, Yui-chan," he almost purred. "The rite to seal the statues is a dangerous one for a layperson."

"Oh," she said after a moment. Did he intend to _join_ them? "I— y-you're coming with us, my King?"

"I am," he agreed genially.

Oh gods, they were going to go to prison _forever_.

Yui swallowed. "Thank you, my King."

"Yui?" she heard her brother calling. Oh, Agni, she was going to have to explain this to him, wasn't she?

She bowed again to Ozai. "Please excuse me, my King," she said. "I must reassure my brother." And warn him. Oh gods, this was going to get ugly.

"Do as you must," replied the Phoenix King, dismissing her.

Another bow, this one of departure, and Yui darted off to intercept Kouji before he spotted Ozai.

Kouji blinked when he saw her, grey eyes darting to her pinned-up, wet hair and the spots where her clothes still clung to her. "Yui? Is something wrong?"

"Not… really, no," Yui said.

He canted his head to one side. "Not really?"

She coughed. "We have a… companion on our quest now."

Kouji arched an eyebrow at his twin. "A companion?"

"Yeah." Yui shifted her weight. How was she going to explain this one?

"Who?"

"The Phoenix King."

Bluntly, apparently.

"Are you _insane_?" Kouji hissed. "We can't take him with us! Do you know how many _laws_ —"

Yui covered his mouth with her hand. "I really don't think we have a choice, Kouji."

He paused, then pulled her hand down. "What do you mean by that?"

She shifted again. "He's kind of already here."

His eyes went wide as her words sank in. "Already… Yui, did you—?"

" _No!_ " she snapped at him. "Do I _look_ like I'm crazy? He got out on his own!"

Kouji let go of her hand and rubbed his temples. "Great. And he wants to come with us?"

"I think he's pretty much going to," Yui answered. "Unless you can think of a way to stop him?"

Her twin went pale at the thought. "So… how are we getting to Ba Sing Se with him?"

"I'm working on it." Yui sighed. "And I'm going to need to introduce you to him."

"…do you have to?"

Yui gave him a Look. "Kouji, we _have_ to be polite. We should be okay as long as he's amused with us."

Kouji sighed. "That's really not reassuring, Yui."

"He's the Phoenix King," Yui said softly. "That's the best I can offer."

"Yeah…" Kouji shook his head. "We're going to go to jail _forever_."

"I know." Yui sighed. "Let's just get out of the Fire Nation first. Then we can worry about Ba Sing Se."

"Yeah," Kouji said. "Let me drop the shelter—"

Yui shook her head rapidly, her eyes wide. "Kouji, no! You know what would happen if you were found out…"

He looked at her in sudden fear. "Yui… how are we going to hide this?"

"Please tell me you brought shoes."

Kouji's silence was telling.

Yui put her face in her hands. "Okay. Okay. We'll just have to take this one step at a time. And the first step is introductions. Come on." She grabbed her brother's hand and towed him after her, back to where Ozai waited. As they rounded the dune, Kouji tugged free and matched his stride to hers. When they were fifteen feet from him, they both kowtowed — in unison, Yui noted. How _did_ they keep doing that?

She could hear amusement — no, that wasn't amusement; that sounded like _pleasure_ in his voice as he bade them rise. As she and Kouji both got up, she noticed that Ozai was _smiling_ , and not in a scary way.

For some reason, that scared her _more_.

Yui took a deep breath. "Phoenix King Ozai, this is my brother. Kouji."

Fortunately, Kouji had very pretty manners, even if he did tend to take after Ichi-ni more these days and not use them like he should. He bowed deeply and murmured, "My King."

"Kouji," Ozai acknowledged, granting him leave to straighten up. He regarded the twins a moment, still smiling that not-scary-but-still-scary smile, then said, "Tell me your plan."

Yui exchanged a look with her brother, then turned once more to the former Firelord. Keeping her eyes downcast, she said, "We mean to return to Ba Sing Se as quickly as we can, purchasing the components for the spe— for the ritual that you spoke of, my King." Calling it a spell sounded far too fantastic for Yui's taste.

"Some of the components are expensive," Ozai pointed out. "What will you do if you run out of money?"

Yui shrugged and sighed quite deliberately. "There are ways of making more."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kouji flush dark red.

The Phoenix King looked briefly taken aback, and Yui added smoothly, "Helping out in a restaurant, for example."

Kouji made a sort of strangled squeaking sound, but Ozai had already recovered. "And will those… other ways make enough money to purchase the amount of blood you'll need?"

Yui blanched. She _really_ didn't want to think about that part of the ritual.

"We'll get to that," Kouji said, his voice pitched slightly higher than usual. He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed. She squeezed back, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to compose herself. Ozai's question had _rattled_ her.

Yui opened her eyes again. "The first step is returning to Ba Sing Se. Which… forgive me, my King, but it has become difficult."

Ozai acknowledged his part in this with a nod, but offered no solution. Yui half-lidded her eyes as she mentally sorted through the resources she and Kouji had. Money, a few scrolls, their nice clothes—

Her eyes opened, and she smiled. "I have an idea."

Ozai wasn't certain he'd ever met anyone quite like Yui-chan, though Ty Lee came close.

Yui hadn't really explained her idea beyond, "We'll need new clothes." He supposed that she didn't trust him enough to share more than that. Her brother certainly didn't trust him, though he at least attempted to hide his suspicious glances.

He couldn't help but wonder what had brought two such unusual, intelligent young Fire children to Ba Sing Se. The boy was obviously a scholar of some kind, though his physique suggested he was more than that; Yui-chan had some very unusual skills for a young peasant girl.

The twins were an enigma, a delightful mystery to unravel. Ozai was going to _enjoy_ this trip.

"Okay," he heard Yui-chan say; a split-second later, Kouji groaned.

Ozai turned, and his gold eyes widened fractionally.

The girl had changed from rough travel gear to a lighter, more festive dress. This dress, Ozai decided, had to have been specially tailored for Yui-chan. It was Fire Nation red, with golden coloured piping that matched the golden jewellery she wore . The cut of it drew the eye not to her bosom, but to the flash of gold around her right ankle. From there, his eyes were drawn up the line where crimson slipped away from Fire-pale skin, up her shapely calf and thigh to the bottom of her hip.

Gold glittered around her wrists, demanding their own share of attention, which led his eyes up her arms and finally to her torso. Her dress did not encourage one's gaze to linger, but rather to continue the journey up, first by the flash of throat exposed by the Mandarin collar, and then by the curve of her neck. Ozai realised that she had taken her hair from the childish braid and pulled it up into a topknot.

Yui-chan, it seemed, was not a girl after all.

"No," said Kouji abruptly.

Yui-chan blinked, and Ozai's eyes flicked over to him. "No?"

"No," the boy repeated. "You are _not_ sleeping with—"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm not. I'd be going out in the evening if I was."

"Then why are you wearing _that_?"

The young woman smiled. "First, it makes me look older. Second, it is an excellent dress and shows that I'm not liable to be taken in. Third, it implies wealth — or at least wealthy patrons — which might be the edge I need for a discount on an order."

Kouji sputtered, and Yui-chan hugged him. " _Relax_ , Kouji. I know exactly what I'm doing." The boy was not mollified until she murmured something in his ear that Ozai couldn't catch.

Ozai didn't like his twins keeping secrets. He would be sure to stick close to the boy while Yui-chan was away. They had demonstrated enough intelligence that he knew they would not cross him, but there was no point in taking risks.

"I'll be back," said Yui-chan, stepping away from her brother.

"When?" Kouji asked.

She considered for a moment. "Give me a few hours before you start to worry." She tapped the band around her right wrist and smiled again. "I'll be fine." She turned to Ozai and offered a bow of respectful departure. Once he had acknowledged her, she set off.

The boy sighed and glanced at the Phoenix King. "My King," he said, "may I show you to our shelter?"

Ozai nodded assent. The sun was no longer rising, but it was fairly humid. Shade would be nice.

With a bow, Kouji led his King around the hill to a somewhat concealed entrance to a hollow within the hill. On entering, Ozai discovered that it was fairly wide — too wide to be natural. It was almost too low inside as well; the top of his head was an inch from the ceiling. The shelter was also entirely too smooth and too rounded to be a natural formation.

Ozai's eyes narrowed. This had likely been formed by an earthbender.

His twins had been lucky to stumble upon it.

Kouji was rifling through a bag, turned so that his profile was to Ozai. As he removed a scroll from his bag, Ozai realised that it was brighter in the cave than it should have been. The light was fairly steady, with a green cast to it; a fire would have tinted the cave red and moved the shadows more.

The source of the light was a rock by Kouji's knee. Despite apparently having a flattened bottom and being approximately the size of two fists, the formation of it appeared to be natural. Intrigued, Ozai examined it. He had heard of the light-crystals of Ba Sing Se, but had never seen a specimen of that size.

"This must have cost a fortune," he commented.

"Mm?" Kouji looked up from his scroll, and Ozai stole a glance at it. Like the scroll Yui-chan had presented to him, it was written in Old Earth. "Oh, the crystal? It was a gift from one of my professors."

"A pricey gift," Ozai observed.

Kouji shrugged and did not elaborate, apparently more fascinated by his scroll than by his King.

His twins were definitely hiding things.

"You and your sister are very unusual," he commented.

Kouji glanced up again. "It's been mentioned before." He shifted position, and Ozai noticed that his feet were bare.

Bare feet, a shelter that _just_ fit the boy's height, from New Sozin but living in Ba Sing Se, an expensive bit of light-crystal that he was far too blasé about…

Well.

"I'm curious, Kouji — was it your father or your mother that was the earthbender?"

Kouji jerked, his head snapping up to stare at him with wide grey eyes. Ozai smiled, and the boy looked somewhat irritated. "How did you figure it out?"

Ozai gestured to his bare feet. "Even if you were as poor as you appear, your sister wears shoes. And this shelter is a little too unnatural, and too tailored to your height."

" _Slag_ ," the boy muttered, and Ozai raised an eyebrow. How long had his twins been in Ba Sing Se? "It was our mother," Kouji then answered the original question.

"Mm. How is it you two were able to afford such thoughtful gifts for me?"

Kouji hesitated, then said, "We're amateur archaeologists."

"Ah." Ozai smiled. "Treasure hunters."

Inexplicably, the boy put his head in his hands and groaned.

Though now that Ozai thought about it, it made sense — and it certainly explained how Yui-chan had managed to get in to see him, and gave some hints as to how they had stumbled upon the plot in the first place.

But why hide that?

Ozai considered how rough the twins appeared to dress with the money they were likely making as treasure hunters. The gifts they had presented him with indicated that they were fairly successful, so what were they doing with the money?

He supposed they might be war-orphans as well as war-children, but he doubted young people as attractive as his twins would have lasted very long on the streets in that case. No, not orphans… but, perhaps, one of their parents had been arrested? They did live in Ba Sing Se.

And desperate enough, with the emergence of this new plot, to seek help from him.

One could almost pity them.

Ozai, however, had difficulty with pity, and his twins seemed to be doing quite well as it was. They were _survivors_ ; if there was a problem, they went out and took care of it. He liked that kind of person; they were less likely to demand favours.

(He suspected they would be happier if he wasn't along at all, but he wasn't interested in making them happy.)

"Why?" Kouji asked suddenly.

The Phoenix King blinked. "Why what?"

"Why are you helping us? Sir," he added, almost an afterthought.

Ozai smiled slowly. "How are you planning on getting the blood, Kouji-kun?"

The question didn't faze the boy nearly as much as it had his sister. "I doubt Mi-Ren is working alone," he said calmly. "I'm also sure they'll be prepared to fight."

Ozai arched an eyebrow. "Have you ever killed a man?"

"No," Kouji replied quietly, "but if it comes down to my life against his…"

"There is a difference between killing someone and thinking you can kill someone," he pointed out.

"I know," was the quiet reply. For just the briefest instant, the boy looked younger, more vulnerable, almost wounded. Then he shook his head and returned his attention to his scroll. "I suppose we'll find out."

And he wondered why Ozai was along.


End file.
